Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer (With Bonus Surprises!)

Thank you, Lucasfilms and Disney for this one! December 16, 2016 is going to be THE day in the year that movie buffs are waiting for: the premier of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Since last year’s blockbuster, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J. J. Abrams and raked in over $4 billion in revenue worldwide, the latest in the franchise is a welcome. From what we see of the trailer, the storyline is women-centric, with the main characters being more feminine than their counterparts in earlier films. Last year’s The Force Awakens saw Rey (played by actress, Daisy Ridley) take on the Dark Side of the Force all by her lonesome.

So, before you get taken over by the power of The Force come December, here are a few things you may not know yet about the latest flick in the super hit franchise:

It is more artistically grim: Last year’s The Force Awakens was pretty family friendly, with jokes and confrontations that were easy on the ears and eyes. However, this time around, producer Kathleen Kennedy inferred that though the film has a female lead and other prominent female characters, it won’t be as lighthearted.

It has little to do with previous films: Even though the storyline still takes place in a galaxy far, far away, there will be little to no reference made of previous iconic characters, including Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia, among others. This is a story within itself, talking about a time around A New Hope. And yes, there will be new names introduced, though let’s hope none of them are even remotely related to Jar Jar Binks.

Martial arts are included!: Since Lucasfilms is determined to go along with the changing times, what with introducing more ladies into the mix, then why not diversify as well? As seen in the trailer, there is a certain character of Oriental origin, and Asian martial arts are included in what seems to be an epic battle with the Stormtroopers.

We get to see an A-list actor involved: Did you notice Forest Whitaker in the mix? Looks like they are going a little bit mainstream by introducing us to another character who is part of the good side, probably helping the rebels fight against the bad guys? Who knows? But it comes as a surprise, and also should be a face worth remembering.

Darth Vader may be a pleasant surprise: So, did you notice the Sith Lord not mentioned earlier? That’s because we kept the best for last! Though he can’t be seen anywhere in the trailer, he could be a major part of the plot, considering it involves the Death Star. If one recalls, the Death Star was around during A New Hope. So let us hope for some good scenes with Vader.